Elizabeth De Bourgh
by marylight24
Summary: Elizabeth de Bourgh, daughter of Lady Catherine must learn to live with the pressure of her mother that wants her to marry her cousin Fitzwilliam Darcy with the posture that her older sister, Anne, is not enough pretty and that her cousin, Lady Jane Fitzwilliam is far more beautiful than her besides that previously she lost the opportunity of marry Jane's brother, the Viscount.
1. Chapter 1

**Elizabeth de Bourgh**

Family Tree

.Lady Catherine de Bourgh (50)-Sir Lewis de Bourgh (Dead)

.Miss Anne de Bourgh (25)

.Miss Elizabeth De Bourgh (20)

.Earl Arthur Fitzwilliam (62)-Countess Josephine Fitzwilliam (55)

.Viscount Andrew Fitzwilliam (35) -Viscountess Sophie Fitzwilliam (22)

.Lady Cordelia Fitzwilliam (4)

.Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam (32)

.Lady Jane Fitzwilliam (23)

.Lady Anne Darcy (Dead)-Mr. George Darcy (Dead)

. Fitzwilliam Darcy (28)

.Miss Georgiana Darcy (15)

A/N: This is the family tree. Next chapter will be the first one. I hope you'll enjoy this story. The matchmaking in this story is made by Lady Catherine. Es una historia nueva, espero que les guste. Al principio vamos a ver la infancia hasta que todos lleguen a tener la edad que tienen en el presente árbol genealógico, que, por cierto, invente algunas. Jane sería como Jane Bennet, en esta historia es prima de Elizabeth. Estoy pensando en poner a Kitty y Mary como jóvenes ricas de la aristocracia inglesa, serian engreídas, frívolas y superficiales, pero no sé. Gracias a todos. Espero opiniones.


	2. Chapter 2: Feelings

Chapter 1

An elegant carriage with the crest of de Bourgh family was riding through the fields of Pemberley, and inside of it was Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her youngest daughter, Elizabeth that was five years old, Anne de Bourgh, the eldest that was ten years old and was, as always, too sick to be allowed to travel. Sir Lewis de Bourgh had passed away three years ago.

They were going to Pemberley because, Lady Catherine's sister, Lady Anne had given birth to a baby girl, Georgiana.

Little Elizabeth was so entertained in her book that didn't notice that they were arriving until her mother spoke:

"Elizabeth, some day you will live here, when you marry your cousin Fitzwilliam or better yet, you'll be a Countess if you are smart enough to marry your cousin the Viscount" said her mother with a sigh of happiness and relief; at least she had a daughter to be proud of. Elizabeth was pretty, with her light brown hair, porcelain skin and big vivacious dark eyes, but her cousin, the daughter of the Earl was even more beautiful, with light fair hair and light blue eyes, so Lady Catherine wanted to take advantage of Elizabeth by matching her with Fitzwilliam Darcy or better yet, the future Earl.

"Mother, Cousin Andrew is seventeen, and Fitzwilliam is thirteen they are too old for me" spoke Elizabeth trying to rationalise with her mother, counting with her little fingers the difference of ages.

"Nonsense my dear, your age is fine, men like young women, I married your father when I was twenty years old and he was forty" explained Lady Catherine, proud of her marriage. She had always been competitive with her sister Lady Anne, they were both very beautiful, but sweet Anne didn't care about wealthy marriages for convenience, so Catherine got the titled knight and her sister a rich gentleman. Both matches were wealthy, both sisters daughters of an Earl got husbands of old wealthy families.

Pemberley was enormously big, elegant and peaceful; in contrast, Rosings was too ostentatious with gold chandeliers, candles, sculptures, everything was decorated with the purpose of showing off the fortune of the family.

As soon as Elizabeth's feet touched the marble floor of the stairs of the entrance of Pemberley, she saw another carriage arriving, a Darcy carriage.

Her cousin, Fitzwilliam Darcy had just arrived from Eton.

"Good day, Aunt, Cousin" he said and kissed their cheeks.

"You shall escort Elizabeth to the nursery; she has to sleep" ordered Lady Catherine.

Elizabeth's cheeks flushed with shame, her mother always wanted to set her up with her cousin, and she was just five years old!

"Mother, I can go by myself" answered Elizabeth with a hint of anger on her childish voice.

"Master Fitzwilliam! Mister Darcy is awaiting you in his study" interrupted Mrs. Reynolds the housekeeper, she then spotted Lady Catherine and her daughter "Oh, I'm sorry my Lady, I didn't see you" she apologised staring at the floor.

"Clearly" answered the lady with disgust.

"Please come inside, I'll show you your rooms" she said politely.

The proper Fitzwilliam grabbed Elizabeth's arm and lead her to the nursery quickly, leaving behind his aunt and housekeeper.

"Don't you have to go to your father study?" whispered Elizabeth curiously as they were walking, almost running through the halls of Pemberley that Lizzie loved very much.

"Well, yes, but I'm a gentleman" he said arrogantly.

"Gentlemen don't accompany little cousins to their nursery, a nurse does it" she replied and Fitzwilliam couldn't help but think his cousin was smart. Really smart. His cheeks blushed and after leaving his cousin in the room he rushed to his father's study.

He entered to the room that, as his father always said, some day would be his room, where he would administrate Pemberley, and the townhouse of London. It was very masculine with dark mahogany furniture and blue chairs. The hearth was incredibly big, probably the biggest in the whole house.

He couldn't help but feel intimidated, although his father and he had a good relationship, it was terribly formal.

"Come son" spoke George Darcy motioning his son to sit in a chair in front of a desk.

"Father" young Fitzwilliam nodded as a salute.

"You probably read this in the letter I sent you but you now have a sister, Georgiana Darcy, she was born two days ago, and she and your mother are both doing well, it was a difficult labour but the doctor assured me that they are good" he informed with a small smile. "Your mother wants to see you" he said standing up with his tall frame and grabbed his son by the shoulder leading him to the mistress' room.

George Darcy was very handsome and tall. Fitzwilliam was the same image of his father, but had the eyes of her mother, the bluest eyes of earth.

Mr. Darcy was a person that could be easily admired, not just for his looks, but for his good temperament with the servants. He knew all his names, treated them kindly and cared for their necessities. He was not a snobbish man like had been his brother in law, Sir Lewis de Bourgh, instead he was nice and loved his family deeply.

Sir Lewis died tragically when, disappointed that his wife Catherine gave him just two daughters, spent the rest of his days in the most expensive brothel in London where he was always drunk.

His death was tragic because he died in a fight with his partner of clubs and brothels, Lord Howard.

When they arrived to the room, his mother was seated in the bed, with her face paler than usual but with an adoring gaze that made him feel that everything was going to be right.

She had a little Georgiana in her arms and was rocking her, besides singing her softly.

"Oh, William, come here son!" she said as she spotted him staring at her. She sounded exhausted but happy. And how could she not? She had had two miscarriages, one before Fitzwilliam and the second last year. Anne had started to fear she couldn't have a child anymore until this year when she finally gave birth to a daughter.

"Hello mother, how are you feeling?" he said as he kissed her cheek and his mother smiled softly tossing her golden curls over her shoulder.

"Weak but well my love" she said with the biggest smile she could manage. "Today you will make the acquaintance of a little girl that will grow up by your side" she whispered with excitement. "If we are not alive, you will protect her of men wanting her dowry, you will present her in society and most important you will be a good brother for her, and she will be the sister you never had" she finished with tears in her blue eyes. "This is Georgiana Darcy"

As soon as he saw her sister he had to hold his breath. He had never seen a baby and this one was perfect. She smiled at him with her little beautiful face and he soon realise he would love his sister forever. She had a little bit of very fair hair and blue eyes.

"She's perfect" he murmured.

"Indeed she is" agreed his father and then added "Come, let your mother rest"

They walked in silence to the drawing room where, unfortunately for both, Lady Catherine was.

"Brother how is my sister?" she requested standing up from her chair.

"Can you excuse us, Fitzwilliam?" solicited George Darcy to his son, so as soon as he leaved the room he told to his sister:

"The doctor says my wife is doing well, but she is really weak and I didn't see any progress" he said staring at the floor, a hint of sadness perceptible in his voice.

"I told her, the better doctors are in London, now I will immediately write to my personal doctor, he is the best at his job!" she said very determinate. "Please excuse me".

The following days, the mistress of Pemberley was getting worse; she was not allowed to be with her baby, because the doctor feared she might transmit her illness to the new-born.

George and Fitzwilliam were very sad. They knew she had wished a pregnancy since so long and now she was suffering the consequences.

Thus, Fitzwilliam locked himself in the library where he could cry alone, where he could not be judged by his odious aunt.

He was terribly sad, all the happiness had gone, his mother was going to die and he knew it because she had told him the previous day. His father was always locked in his study and didn't want to see his anyone. All the happy moments he had spent with his mother were flooding him and he felt his beautiful eyes starting to water and knew he couldn't stop them, because it was impossible. Minutes after he came to the conclusion he had to find light in this moment of darkness.

So, he was so distracted in his thoughts that he felt scared when he heard someone coughing. He glanced everywhere and didn't see anyone.

But then he saw her, his little cousin Elizabeth was in the top of the shelves sitting staring at him with an unreadable expression… pity?

"What are you doing here?" he questioned horrified that his little cousin had something to mock him now, and that he had proclaimed himself a gentleman when he was crying in the corners of his house.

"Hiding from my mother" she answered while descending and finally, her bare feet touching the cold floor.

"You better hold your tongue, if someone knows I was crying…" he demanded angrily until she cut him.

"No one will now" she said quickly "I promise", she glanced at him and then to the floor and to him again. "You are not being coward by crying; on the contrary you are being very brave indeed"

"And what do you know about bravery, you are but five years old" he said staring at her with disgust.

"If you think showing your feelings is not being a gentleman then you are wrong" she challenged him. "It's what you feel, you can't help it, and it's good you are crying so god knows you are really hurt and will help you with what you are going through" she said while walking to where he was standing and putting a comforting hand in his shoulder that was very up to her height.

He hugged tightly and cried freely in her embrace. This is where their friendship started. When he realise he could trust her, that he wouldn't be judged by her and could be feel well with her comforting words.

At the final of the year, Mrs. Darcy died. She had had the most unimaginable painful illness and during the last months of her existence she was like a deceased body resting in a bed that only breathed and had to be cleaned.

All the family was completely hurt when they received the news. Lady Catherine offered to take care of Georgiana but George Darcy didn't allow her, he wanted to be near of his daughter as his wife had told him to do so.

_Take care of her._

_Ensure her future._

_And most important,_

_Love her._

And it wasn't difficult for him to adore his daughter. Every day she smiled at him, and over the years, she was getting the same image of her mother.

In Rosings Park things were different.

"Where is my daughter Mrs. Tomas? My brother is going to arrive in a few minutes" asked Lady Catherine one day to one servant.

"Miss de Bourgh is taking her usual nap and Miss Elizabeth is walking outside"

"FETCH MISS ELIZABETH INMEDIATLY" She ordered angrily "Her future husband is to arrive and she's not here as a proper young woman"

Minutes later, an Elizabeth of ten years old appeared in the drawing room with anger palpable in her face.

"Change your face and don't frown" demanded her mother inspecting her. "Mrs. Tomas, fetch my pearls for Miss Elizabeth"

"I don't want to wear jewellery" she said frowning even more.

"But you will, look at you, you look so plain". Lady Catherine said glancing at her up and down.

"It's impossible to look plain with all the details this dress has "answered Elizabeth looking down with disdain at her dress.

"Your cousin has to notice you and see how his future bride dress well and has the proper behaviour a lady should have"

"He will not, mother, I'm ten years old and he´s twenty two. He shan't notice me, and I don't care what he thinks about me either."

"You silly girl! You will not marry him now, when you have the proper age and I mean as soon as you bleed you will. This is the end of a discussion, when will you learn to respect your superiors?"

"WHEN YOU WILL REALISE I´M YOUNG TO BE GOING THROUGH ALL OF THIS, THAT'S WHEN I WILL START RESPECTING YOU" shouted Elizabeth angry, she then went to her room with angry tears threatening of fall from her dark eyes.

Her mother never had any consideration for her happiness and felicity. Instead she thought of her as an object to marry with wealthy cousins.

As an object she could then be proud of, she felt that her mother could only be proud of her by whom she would marry in the future.

That's the only thing her mother thought of her, nothing else was important.

With Anne things were different. Her mother didn't have the obsession she had with her youngest daughter. Instead she just didn't give importance to her, because she was not pretty and her health was fragile.

It was so unfair and sad too, Anne was a person that had been in the belly of her mother, she was her own blood and flesh. But the lady of Rosings didn't give importance to such a deep thoughts. She was very cold that strangely felt something.

And didn't realise her daughter was bad with the situation of match making that had started since she was a toddler.

Elizabeth was exhausted mentally. And the only comfort she had was the phrase her cousin Fitzwilliam had told her before:

"_You have to be strong and I know you will, remember to don't let your mother decide your future, someday you will be free, free as birds flying through the blue skies, free as roses that grow up naturally after storms full of noisy thunders."_

_A/N: I'm so sorry this is too short. Forgive me for my lack of knowledge of English too. I just have a B2 level. I recently made First Certificate. If you have something to say about the story, please review!_

_I just had this story in my mind and couldn't help but start writing._

_LOVE and MERRY CHRISTMAS!_


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